New Year's Resolutions (for Horses!!)

So, 2012 is about to draw to a close, so it's time to start thinking about all those New Year's Resolutions for 2013! 

(c) Lucie Provencher

But it's not just about what diets you're going to take up or what wonderful places you want to visit over the next 12 months - what about your horses?!

That's right, horses are in need of a bit of change and positive motivation, so what kinds of things will YOUR horses and ponies be looking to change in the next big year ahead?

Well, we've scoured the web for a few ideas of fun little things horses can do to make their lives - and yours - a little sweeter over the next 365 days!

HORSE NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS FOR 2012

• I will practice patience and good manners at feeding time. 

• I will try to keep you laughing even when I know I am being naughty.

• I promise not to try and kick the dog.

• I will not stomp on the salt block, breaking it into unlickable pieces.

• I will not trot away when I see you come towards me with a halter. I want to play, really I do.

• I will let someone else be the leader, for a day – one day only - that day will be of my choosing with no advanced notice.

• I will swallow wormer without objection and without getting any of it on myself or you.

• I will get under you when you lose your seat, instead of seizing the opportunity to dump you in the dirt. 

What are some of your Horse's New Year's Resolutions? Get in touch via the Tic Tac Equestrian Facebook or Twitter, and we'll stick them up here!

Christmas Day Treats for Horses!

Here's hoping for horsey white christmas!

We're getting ready for the holidays here at Tic Tac Equestrian! Now,  Christmas day is what you make it, but for us it’s a time to get fat and enjoy yourself - but don’t forget about your horses! They deserve a treat too and we’ve searched far and wide among horse lovers to get some great ideas for special ways to treat your four-legged friends at this wonderful time of the year.

Christmas Cake for Horses

Who doesn’t love Christmas cake? Exactly – no one! And that goes for our equine neighbours too. There are lots of different ways to spruce up their Christmas feed, so let’s start off with a simple but irresistible festive and wonderfully horsey Christmas cake.

Ingredients

Dark brown sugar - 500 g

1 Mug of bran

2 Mugs of chaff

1 apple

1 big carrot grated

1 small tin of black treacle

(You can add a mug of mix if you feed it)

Instructions

Heat up the sugar and treacle until melted, then stir in the rest of the ingredients -you may need to add little more chaff or bran so it is very thick.

Put into a medium-sized container and leave to set.

This recipe is very rich and sugary so be sure to feed with care to horses with sugar intolerance or if you like, you can reduce the amount of sugar you put in and replace with fruit - but it’s safe to say most healthy horses love this!

Other treats

You can also use many of the same ingredients to make different variations of fun, delicious horses treats, including these similar, candy-style treats.

To make, simply mix 1 can of black treacle, 500g of dark brown sugar, melt in a pan and pour into little lickit containers to make fun tongue twisters – lots of brown sticky noses but they adore them.

Big Horse Treats

For bigger horses looking for a heartier wee feed, slices of apple and long strips of carrot dipped into slices of toffee are also a great Christmas day treat. You can also mix in chaff and leave to set in balls - very messy to make but worth it.

Ingredients for the Toffee

200g sugar

55ml of water

15 g of butter

1 tablespoon of Golden Syrup

TO MAKE

Heat the sugar and water together until fully melted, add butter and syrup and boil until 290 on jam thermometer or till it reaches the soft crack stage.

Dip your carrot and apple or other fruit/veg of choice into this and put on baking parchment until hard – and yes, the apple treats can be nice for humans too, so don’t be afraid to give them a taste test!

Christmas Pudding

For an alternative Christmas Pudding recipe, here’s a quick and easy way to keep your horses happy this winter:

Ingredients

Round bread roll

Golden syrup or molasses (optional)

Carrots

Apples

Pears (optional)

Polos

To Make

1. First cut a hole in your roll as if you are cutting the stem out of the strawberry.

2. Keep the top part of the bread safe! You will need it later!

3. Cut your carrots, apples and pears into thin sticks.

4. Arrange your sticks in the roll with at least three pointing up, out of the bowl.

5. Place a polo on each stick pointing up.

6. Pour golden syrup in to help it stay together. (optional)

7. Place the "lid" of bread on top.

8. Put a splodge of golden syrup on top. (optional)

9. In the splodge put some pear and polos in the shape of mistletoe on top. (optional)

10. Either put in feed or feed by hand!

REMEMBER: Only feed these treats a little at a time as they are very rich and full of sugar. But even a tiny taste will be a nice touch to help your horses and ponies enjoy this holiday season! Also, if you’re feeling extra merry, a nice big splash of Guinness in their Christmas dinner always goes down a treat too!

You can make fun variations of these recipes, or if you like, please feel free to send us any of your own ideas and recipes, we’d love to hear from you!

Hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Horsey New Year!!

Clipping your horse for the Winter

It's that time of the year again where it's wise to think about clipping your horse. In their natural state, horses have all the protection they need against the harsh winter weather. However, in order to be able to handle different types of exercise and activity over the winter months, they need some, or in some cases, all of their winter coat removed to enable them to work efficiently and of course, to help us keep them clean! 

Reasons for clipping: 

• For quick drying after exercise
• To allow a horse to carry out fast work without too much stress
• To avoiding adverse effects caused by heavy sweating
• It makes grooming easier
• And it keeps you horse looking sharp!

What sort of clip should I consider for my horse? 
Your choice of clip depends on the type of work your horse will be doing over the winter period, taking into account how much he usually sweats. 

• Trace clip: A Trace Clip allows horses and ponies to be exercised without getting too hot. This also allows them to continue being turned-out in the winter. The coat is removed from the belly and up the underside of the neck. Hair is meanwhile left on the head, the topside of the neck, body and legs for warmth and protection. For a low trace, only a small section of hair is removed from the belly and neck whereas a high trace takes more hair from these areas going further up the horse's flank.

• Blanket clip: With a Blanket Clip, the coat is removed completely from the head, neck and flanks, leaving only an area of hair that looks like an exercise sheet over the back and hind-quarters and on the legs. This type of clip would suit a horse that has regular exercise, is turned-out in the field and does various events at the weekends. 
  
  
• Hunter clip: This is used mainly for horses in heavy work, such as hunters. The Hunter Clip is similar to the blanket clip, except that the hair over the hind-quarters is removed leaving only a patch in the saddle area. The leg hair remains for warmth and protection.
  
  
• Full clip: This is usually given to competition horses that compete in the winter months. The whole of the coat is removed, including body, legs and head. The full clip looks very smart but does require careful stable management. Horses with a full clip need to be rugged up at all times and may need to wear stable bandages in very cold weather.

Where do I start? 

• First of all you need to purchase a good quality pair of clippers. However, there are many different types available depending on the job you need them for so you wont be stuck for choice. Your choice of clippers depends on the type of clip as well as personal preference. 
  
  
• It's often wise to give your horse a bath first if they are particularly dirty. However, usually, you just need to make sure they are well-kept and thoroughly groomed, making sure you remove any and all dirt and sweat that could potentially clog up the clippers. 
  
  
• Have a rug ready to put on your horse after you finish clipping - we guarantee they'll notice the difference in temperature after their nice new haircut!
  
  
• If possible, try to have someone on hand to hold your horse and comfort them if they become agitated. 
  
  
• Use chalk to outline the area you are going to clip, particularly if you have not clipped a horse before. 
  
  
• While clipping the body, the clippers must run flat over the coat - don’t use too much pressure otherwise you will create lines known as ‘tram-lines’.  On the other hand, when clipping the legs and face you will need to clip against the hair as it is shorter than the rest of the hair on the horse’s body. 
  
  
• Start from the top of the neck and head and then work your way along the rest of the body. With experience you can develop your own clipping methods to suit both you and your horse, creating the least amount of stress possible. 
  
  
• Be firm, but gentle when working around the head. It is probably best to use a pair of finishing trimmers as they make less noise and are less likely to startle or cause stress. 
  
  
• After you have finished clipping, make sure that your horse is nice and rugged up and apply stable bandages if necessary - oh, and be sure to give them a well deserved treat! 
  
  
• If all else fails, get an expert to do it for you. It won’t cost you very much and it could cut out a lot of stress for both you and your horse.
  
  

For more info on our great range of clippers and other horse grooming items, be sure to check out the Tic Tac Equestrian store.

Winter Feed Changes in Horses

Horses feeding in Winter Christmas time is always fun for horses. Winter weather means spending more time in the stall and as a result - less riding. As a result, it would make sense that a horse would need fewer calories over the winter. However, during prolonged periods of cold weather, a horse burns more calories to generate body heat and maintain its normal core temperature. In the past, some horse owners used to add corn to horse feed over winter to help them generate more body heat and reduce the stress and harsh effects of cold weather. Alternatively you can substitute two pounds of hay for each reduced pound of grain fed daily. When less than half a percent of the horse’s body weight is fed daily in grain, consider supplementing with a speciality feed. This ensures that the horse is still receiving the right amounts of vitamins and minerals at the reduced feeding rate.  Making sure that horses have good access to unlimited warm water can help encourage horses to drink more and prevent impaction colic. When a horse drinks cold water, they use extra energy to replace the heat lost and instinctively they tend to drink less. Making sure your horse has an adequate water intake ensures that the fibre in the digestive system stays hydrated, which allows it to be broken down by intestinal bacteria. This makes it much less likely to cause blockages. Mixing salt, mineral supplements, and electrolytes into a horse’s feed can also simulate a horse to drink more water. Regular exercise over the winter period can also aid the movement of the gut and reduce the risk of colic. It is also sensible to keep a watchful eye over the weight of your horse. An unclipped horse’s winter coat can make it difficult to check the horse’s body condition, the owner should use a weight tape or scale monthly to check the horse’s weight. This allows the owner to adjust the feeding program as needed and to keep the horse in peak physical condition and ready for warmer weather.

Cold Weather Colic

Cold Weather Colic can be a real stress for horse owners over the Christmas period and winter in general. 

There are several reasons why horses tend to colic more when the weather changes, but in winter, three main culprits are:

Lack of routine exercise: With darker skies at night and the sun rising later in the morning, combined with colder temperatures, and often wetter cold days, horses get less turn out and less riding time, spending more time in the stall. Regular exercise and movements helps to keep both horse and human digestive systems functioning properly. If you have ever been laid up sick and cannot move around, you know that your digestive system has a tendency to not work as well as when you move. The same thing happens to horses.  Even if you can only turn your horse out for a few hours or hand walk around the barn, it is better than no exercise at all.

Cold water and iced over water: horses will drink up to ten gallons a day on a regular basis, but in winter, they may drink fewer than three due to cold. Adding a salt block in the stall will encourage drinking or if possible, you can purchase a water de-icer that will keep the water at a comfortable temperature or perhaps even bring hot water from home to mix in with the cold to help encourage your horse to drink more often. Water helps to aid proper digestion which will help prevent conditions like colic. 

Lack of pasture: This problem is two-fold, first, in that there is little green grass which helps to absorb moisture into the gut and adds wet fiber to help move food along the digestive tract, secondly, horses that are kept on wooded pasture land will tend to eat tree bark, leaves and tree nuts when no other food source is around. Keeping hay in the pasture with plenty of water which is not too cold, will help keep a horse healthy and happy, though beware of getting a large round roll from a dealer you have not gotten hay from before, as many horses have colicked on new hay, especially finer hays like Alicia which tend to cause more impact collics than courser hays like coastal bermuda.

Bottom line - to prevent colic in horses during cold winter months, provide them with a convenient source of clean, ice free water, plenty of turn out, regular routine, soft music in the stall to prevent stress from being cooped up during foul weather days and be careful about feeding too much hay from different sources without giving the horse a chance to switch over gradually.

As always, if in doubt, don't hesitate to contact your vet.